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Conserving Energy/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Tim arrives home after being out in a snowstorm. TIM: Man, what a storm. It's good to finally be– Gaaah! Music plays. Moby has turned the house into the tropics. He is sitting in a lounge chair wearing sunglasses and shorts. The thermostat is set to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and he has set up a heat lamp, a heater, and a tranquility fountain. Another robot, Little Jimmy, serves Moby a tropical drink. TIM: Jiminy Cricket, Moby. Do you have any idea how much energy you're using? You've got the thermostat turned way up and you're wasting electricity with all these lights and this stupid fountain. Little Jimmy, I thought you knew better. Little Jimmy hands Tim a letter. LITTLE JIMMY: Beep. Tim reads from the typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, What are some ways we can conserve energy? Sincerely, Wendell. There are a bunch of ways to conserve energy, Wendell, and they're all very important. That's because most of our energy comes from fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. Images show the fossil fuels. TIM: They form naturally, but it takes millions of years for that to happen. That's why we call them non-renewable: once we use up our supply, we can't get any more. An animation shows plants and trees decomposing in the ground. Layers of soil form above them. A robotic arm scoops up a piece of coal from the bottom layer and then burns it. TIM: Fossil fuels are responsible for many of our modern comforts. They run our cars and heat our homes. And most electricity comes from burning fossil fuels too. An animation shows cars passing by on a street. Images illustrate what Tim describes. TIM: To meet growing demand, more and more fossil fuels have to be extracted from the ground every year. An animation shows oil rigs extracting oil. TIM: Unfortunately, sometime before the end of the century, there probably won't be enough of these resources to go around. And even if there were, burning fossil fuels pollutes the air, and adds to global climate change. An animation shows black smoke coming out of a car's exhaust pipes. The smoke is labeled SO2 and CO2. TIM: So we need to conserve, or save, the resources we have. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Oh yeah, and there are a ton of things you can do just around the house. First of all, you shouldn't set the thermostat above 68 degrees Fahrenheit in winter. Tim sets the thermostat to 68 degrees. TIM: You can even set it lower when you leave home or go to bed. Why waste energy and money heating your house when you're away or snug under the covers? Images illustrate Moby doing what Tim describes. TIM: If you're feeling cold, put on a sweater; they're warm and fashionable. Moby poses for pictures wearing a colorful sweater. TIM: Oh, well, they're warm, anyway. Over the summer, you shouldn't set the air conditioning below 78 degrees. If you're feeling toasty, turn on a fan. They use much less electricity. Moby is sitting in a chair with a fan blowing on him. The fan is so powerful that the couch and a picture on the wall are moving. TIM: And make sure that the filters on your heating and A/C units are clean; dirty filters can seriously bump up the cost of heating and cooling your home. Tim cleans a filter. TIM: Speaking of which, your home is probably already lined with insulation, special padding that keeps it warm in the winter and cool in the summer. But if air is leaking in around your windows, you can seal 'em up with weatherstripping or caulk. Moby installs insulation on a wall. Tim seals a window with weatherstripping. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Now you're getting it. Turn off the lights when you leave a room, and turn off any electronics when you're not using them. Make sure you unplug anything you're not using, too. Tim gets angry when Moby unplugs Tim’s computer. TIM: Many appliances and gadgets still sip energy, even if they're turned off or detached from the cord. The light on a cell phone charger keeps blinking after Moby detaches it from the phone. TIM: You can focus on energy-saving devices, too. These compact fluorescent light bulbs use only twenty-five percent as much energy as regular bulbs. Tim holds up a flourescent light bulb. TIM: If your parents are buying new appliances, like refrigerators or washing machines, ask them to buy ones with an Energy Star label. That means they've been certified energy-efficient by the U.S. government. An image shows a washer and refrigerator with the Energy Star label, and Uncle Sam giving them a thumbs up. TIM: When you do the wash, do full loads of laundry; use cold water whenever possible; and air-dry your clothes when you can. An animation shows clothes, and Little Jimmy, hanging from a clothesline to dry. TIM: And of course, there's recycling. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Hey, I know you've heard it before. But making new products uses a lot more energy and fossil fuels than recycling old ones. An animation shows cans of soda on a conveyer belt. TIM: It'd probably make you sick if you knew how much energy goes into creating just one aluminum can. But you can save about ninety-five percent of the energy it takes to make a new can by recycling an old one instead. Tim puts a soda can into a recycle bin. TIM: You can also save energy by avoiding disposable items, like plastic bags and bottled water. Instead, use cloth shopping bags, and drink tap water. A split screen shows an image of show grocery items in a plastic bag, a soda can, and plastic bottles, and an image of a cloth shopping bag and a glass being filled with tap water. TIM: Whoa. According to my energy-efficient, solar-powered watch, we're all out of time. Also, a new episode of "Real Housecats of Sacramento" is on in fifteen minutes. Tim's television shows a preview of the show. Moby waves his finger. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yeah, that's true, the TV does use up a lot of energy. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Better than reality television? I'm game. Tim is eating popcorn and watching Moby perform a puppet show. One puppet has a stick and hits another puppet on the head. MOBY: Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. TIM: Ha ha, get him, puppet. MOBY: Beep. Beep. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts